FOXBORO — Patriots starting wide receiver Mack Hollins is eligible to return to practice and be activated off injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Broncos.

Head coach Mike Vrabel was non-committal when asked if Hollins, who’s on IR with an abdominal injury, will return to practice this week.

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“I can’t be certain right now, just still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back,” Vrabel said. “(Rookie defensive tackle) Josh Farmer could be eligible to come back as well as Mack. But those aren’t decisions that we’ve made yet.”

Vrabel might not have decided yet, but it sounds like Hollins’ position group is expecting the veteran receiver to return.

Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte said Monday that he and Stefon Diggs were talking about Hollins before Sunday’s divisional-round playoff win over the Texans.

“We just said, ‘One more game and we get Mack back,’” Boutte said. “But I think it would mean a lot to Mack, though. We bust our ass to get where we at today, the AFC Championship, so now that he’s back, we look forward to roll.”

Hollins was placed on injured reserve after the Patriots’ Week 16 win over the Ravens. He ended the Patriots’ regular season with 46 catches for 550 yards and two touchdowns. At 6-foot-4, 221 pounds, Hollins provides unique size as a pass catcher and blocker in the Patriots’ offense. Along with Diggs, Hollins has been a strong team leader in the Patriots’ wide receiver room.

In the event that Hollins can’t return from his injury, the Patriots have Boutte, Diggs, DeMario Douglas and rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism at wide receiver on the 53-man roster.

The Patriots will hold their first practice of the week on Wednesday, so we’ll know more about Hollins’ status depending on whether he’s on the field. The Patriots currently have a full 53-man roster, so they would need to make a move to activate Hollins.